Celtic’s draw with Hibs was a sore one for fans to take for a number of reasons.
The first is that the game against the Edinburgh side was Celtic’s first at home since fan protests against the board started.
Anticipation was high from the fans who wanted to see new Bhoys Sebastian Tounekti, Kelechi Iheanacho, Marcelo Saracchi and Michel-Ange Balikwisha at Celtic Park for the first time.
However, no matter what Brendan Rodgers’ team did, they just could not break down the Easter Road club as Celtic drew 0-0 with Hibs.
And as fans digested the news that Pat Bonner spotted a potential Celtic penalty in the first few minutes of the Hibs game, former FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg delivered his verdict on the spot kick call.
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Mark Clattenburg explains why he was ‘surprised’ Celtic were not awarded a penalty vs Hibs
It’s easy to get the green-tinted blinkers on whenever Celtic drop points and rival fans will always try and claim bitterness whenever missed penalty calls are highlighted.
So to get an impartial view, 67 Hail Hail contacted Clattenburg to get his view on the penalty claim.
Clattenburg exclusively told 67 Hail Hail, “There was a possible penalty claim against Jordan Obita after the cross inside the penalty area by Anthony Ralston hits his arm.
“Handball is so controversial and so subjective and referees cannot find consistency. I feel when a player jumps to block the cross like this, he runs the risk of the referee awarding a penalty when the ball hits the arm even though there is an argument that the arm is in a natural position.
“I was surprised that the referee did not award the penalty and if it was awarded, VAR would not have changed the decision.”
So it seems that Celtic were denied the chance to break the deadlock in the opening minutes after match referee Don Robertson failed to award the penalty.
This is not the first time Mark Clattenburg has spotted VAR mistakes in Celtic games
VAR is such a controversial topic in Scotland, it’s important to have an impartial voice like Clattenburg to offer their view on missed Celtic calls.
In Celtic’s win at Aberdeen, Clattenburg also spotted another penalty the Hoops were denied earlier in the season but the former ref said that VAR was correct not to award the foul for the Graeme Shinnie handball.
A last ditch penalty in Celtic’s win at Kilmarnock was also criticised by Clattenburg as he labelled the award a ‘poor decision’.
So with the ex-referee offering a balanced opinion on these calls, it’s good to see that VAR does not always go in favour of Celtic as fans of other clubs continually try and claim.
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